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Sunday, May 6, 2012

Devils forward Ryan Carter did not participate in the team's optional morning skate today and it appears he will sit out tonight's Game 4 against the Flyers at Prudential Center.

Carter said to be "getting treatment" when I asked to speak to him this morning. His locker was moved from it usual spot to a stall in the corner that is usually vacant and there was no equipment hanging in it. Tim Sestito took over Carter's usual locker stall.

Sestito, 27, wouldn't say that he's been told he will definitely play tonight, though.

"I'm coming prepared to play and will go in warm-up," Sestito said.

It would be Sestito's first NHL playoff game.

"It would be real exciting," he said. "I was following the playoffs and haven't been in one and especially watching the last game here the atmosphere was real exciting. If I'm in, I just want to contribute the best I can."

Sestito's younger brother Tom, 24, plays for the Flyers, but is working his way back from groin surgery eight weeks ago and has begun skating, but is not ready to play yet. Tim said he and his brother have spoken during this series, but not about hockey.

"We leave the hockey part out," Sestito said. "He's got his allegiance to his team. I do to mine as well. It's just kind of normal conversations, 'How you doing?' But we're kind of staying away from the hockey part."

Sestito admitted it is strange being on opposite sides of this series with his brother, though neither has played in it so far.

"You kind of get an idea where he's at and you're proud of him, but, at the same time, you want to beat them," he said. "It's a fine line of where you want to see him succeed, but you want your team to prevail as well. It's fun and it will probably be more fun when the series is over.

***Defenseman Peter Harrold confirmed he will be a healthy scratch again tonight. He also sat out Game 3.

Left wing Eric Boulton and right wing Cam Janssen, who have yet to play in the playoffs, will also be healthy scratches.

***Flyers rookie center Sean Couturier participated in the Flyers' morning skate after suffering what appeared to be a left leg injury in Game 3 on Thursday. He appeared to have no trouble moving.

Defenseman Andrej Meszaros, who had surgery on March 21 for a lower-back injury, is skating as well and might play for the first time in the playoffs.

About

TOM GULITTI has covered the New Jersey Devils for The Record since 2002. Prior to that, he covered the New York Rangers for four years. Gulitti joined The Record in 1998 after six years at The North Jersey Herald News. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric-Literature.